Cleveland Indians Logo

Cleveland Indians have used more than 15 logotypes throughout their more than 115-year history, but in fact, almost all of them have been built around either the capital letter “C” or the Native American theme.

Cleveland Indians logo meaning and history

The team traces its roots to the so-called Forest Citys of Cleveland established in 1865. The team changed more than five names before adopting the current one in 1915. Prior to the 1900’s, the club actually used the name of its native city as the only element of its logo. The word “Cleveland” in blue had an arched shape. The team was called Cleveland Bluebirds back then.

It was in 1902 that the Block C Cleveland Indians logo debuted, which, in modified form, is used today. The letter served as a symbol of Cleveland, as well as a reference to the team’s name, Cleveland Broncos. Originally, the “C” was blue, but by the following season it turned red.

The red Block “C” stayed only for a year and was replaced by a script version of the same letter. Simultaneously, the team’s name was replaced by Cleveland Naps, which was in use for about a decade until the current variant was adopted. During the decade, two more variations of the script “C” were introduced.

Symbol in 1915-2017 Cleveland Indians

Following the team’s rebranding as the Cleveland Indians, its logotype was also redesigned. In fact, the team just returned to its Block C logo, which was given in dark blue, this time. It looked very much like the current one. Its overall shape was closer to the square, though, while the current Block C, similar to the original one, is elongated and resembles a rectangular. In 1921-1927, the design of the “C” was rather intricate, reminding the Bruce Double Pica typeface.

After that, the era of the Chief Wahoo logos started. Several emblems depicting a Native American appeared one after another, until in 2014 Block C regained its status as the main Cleveland Indians logo. Chief Wahoo remained on home cap and sleeves, though.

Emblem controversy Cleveland Indians

The Chief Wahoo emblem has faced criticism more than once, starting as long ago as in the 1970s. The opponents stated that such emblems, when used by non-native sports teams, result in ethnic prejudice and stereotyping. In particular, they promote the stereotype of Native Americans as savages.

Although the team reduced the use of the logotype, it still faces pressure from Native Americans and scientific organizations requiring elimination of the logo.

Font of the Cleveland Indians Logo

It is hardly possible to discuss the font, in this case, as the wordmark only includes a single letter. It is probably either custom artwork, or customized glyph from an existing font.

Color of the Cleveland Indians Logo

The official colors include red (Hex color: #E31937;), navy blue (#0F223E;), and white (#FFFFFF;). The primary Cleveland Indians logo, which is the Block C, makes use only of two of them – red and white, while the secondary logotype (Chief Wahoo) combines all the three. Some of the colors used in the earlier logos include several shades of red and blue, as well as brown, black, and gold.